Get your seatbelts on, fam, we’re going on an emotional trip.
Saying he had nowhere else to turn, a man claiming to be the heartbroken father of two young sons took to Facebook yesterday to offer an excruciatingly intimate portrait of his marriage’s breakdown, a four-year journey that ended with him “accidentally” losing all custodial rights to his kids.
While we’re in no position to verify his claims, the tale of woe has clearly resonated with Singaporeans if the post’s more than 4,000 shares — and hundreds of comments expressing support for the dad — are any indication.
Now, of course, his story shouldn’t be taken as the gospel truth. Situations like this are rarely uncomplicated, and we haven’t heard from the other side. For all we know, the dude’s at fault, too.
You can read his whole emotional post on Facebook, but here’s a TL;DR summary for those wanting to get up to speed quickly:
- The path downhill began in 2013 when the man’s once-booming business began to falter, and financial problems emerged. Cracks formed between he and his wife, and he knew that his sons could sense the tension too.
- In 2015, he decided to take up an overseas job, believing that it might be better if the children weren’t exposed to “daily disgruntled faces.”
- The marital situation didn’t improve in 2016 and friends began sending him “proof” of his wife having an affair. A private investigator hired by the man said the same thing. Divorce became an imminent reality.
- In 2017, he returned to Singapore to sign the divorce papers. In his rush to leave the lawyer’s office to take his sons out for dinner, he made the grave error of not carefully looking through the clauses — one of which stated that he would not have the right to visit his children at any point of time without consent.
- The man and his sons kept in touch through video calls with the help of their Filipino domestic helper. According to him, the family’s maid became the main caregiver of the children as the ex-wife was often away for days on end.
- Eventually, he managed to obtain an allotted time (through a lawyer’s letter) to see his sons on Feb. 25, but it never happened.
- Two days later, he spotted his sons by chance near the arranged meeting venue and jumped out of his car to rush over to them. The ex-wife called the cops on him, but he managed to spend about 30 minutes with his sons.
- Now, he says he’s seeking the help of social media to spread the word about his predicament.
“I hope you are happy throughout your life and always know that daddy is here for you no matter what happens. I promise you I will not stop fighting for your right to have me by your side whenever you need me,” he concluded in the open letter to his sons.
Now that the rollercoaster of emotions has come to a stop, what’s your take on the guy’s story? Tell us what you feel in the comments below.
